As a substrate transfer type of successive film deposit apparatus having a plurality of magnetron sputtering units, there has been known an apparatus that performs sputtering by swinging a magnet of the magnetron sputtering unit, such as disclosed in Patent Document 1. A successive sputtering deposit apparatus such as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured so that a magnet (magnetic circuit) of respective magnetron sputtering units independently performs movement by reciprocating movement. This is because why a traveling speed of the magnet in a substrate transfer direction is sufficiently high relative to the substrate transfer speed and therefore film thickness distribution on a thin film deposited by each of the magnetron sputtering units is sufficiently uniform in the substrate transfer direction.
However, for high mechanical durability of the magnet movement unit or reduction in nodule generated on a target surface as disclosed in Patent Document 1, magnet movement speed requires to be lower than before. When the movement speed of the magnet in the substrate transfer direction is almost the same as the transfer speed of a substrate, the uniformity of a thin film deposited on the substrate in the substrate transfer direction becomes remarkably worse.
As disclosed in Patent Document 2 and 3, there has been proposed a method for adjusting phases of magnet movement of a plurality of magnetron sputtering units and shifting the positions of films on an uneven substrate for overlapping. Such a method has improved the evenness of a thin film in the substrate transfer direction of the thin film deposited on the substrate.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-345335
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-246969
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-146528